• Two teams with momentum heading in opposite
directions will meet Saturday night in the Missouri Valley Conference opener
for both teams.

• Though Bradley (8-4) already has won more
games than all of last season (7-25), the Braves have suffered consecutive
losses for the first time this year, while Drake (6-5) comes to Peoria having
won consecutive games for the first time this season.

• Drake enters Saturday’s game as perhaps the
best 3-point shooting team in the country - the Bulldogs rank second nationally
in 3-point field goal percentage (.435) and fourth with 9.5 treys per game.

• Drake’s perimeter assault will be a challenge
for Bradley, which enters the weekend ranked ninth of 10 Valley teams in
3-point field goal percentage defense (.344) while surrendering 6.3 treys per
game.

Series History

136th Meeting | Bradley leads 79-56

• Though Bradley
owns a 79-56 lead in the all-time series against Drake, the Bulldogs have had
the upper hand of late.

• Drake has won
three straight and 11 of the last 20
since the start of the 2003-04 season.

• Bradley is 47-18
all-time at home against Drake and the Braves will be trying to avoid dropping
consecutive home games to the Bulldogs for just the fifth time in series
history.

Valley’s Two Winningest

• Saturday’s
conference opener features the two winningest programs in Valley play in league
history.

• Tipping off its
101st season as a MVC member, Drake tops The Valley with 535 all-time league
wins.

• Bradley is playing
its 61st MVC season and the Braves are second only to Drake with 516 all-time
Valley wins.

Last Time Out

Portland 57, Bradley 55 | Dec. 23, 2012 |
Orleans Arena in Las Vegas

• Dyricus
Simms-Edwards scored a game-high 15 points, but while the senior guard hit
6-of-12 field goal attempts, the rest of the Bradley team combined to shoot
just 11-for-42 (.262) in the consolation final of the Continental Tire Las
Vegas Classic.

• Senior center Will
Egolf got a clean look from 3-point range at the buzzer, but his shot hit
off the front iron as the Braves dropped consecutive games for the first time
this season.

• Bradley shot a
season-low 31.5 percent from the field and the Braves were outrebounded, 42-31
in their fourth game of the week.

Pre-Christmas Wins

• Despite its
current two-game slide, Bradley completed the bulk of its non-conference
schedule with an 8-4 record.

• The Braves won
eight games before Christmas for just the ninth time in program history and the
first time since 2006-07.

• Each of the
previous eight teams to win at least eight games before Christmas ended the
year with at least a .629 winning percentage.

• By valuing the
ball on the offensive end with just 12.0 turnovers per game, the Braves rank
second nationally with 0.94 steals per turnover.

• Bradley averaged
12.8 steals during the four games last week in the Continental Tire Las Vegas
Classic, including 12 steals against Virginia Tech and 15 thefts against
Portland.

• The Braves are
on pace to finish the year with 362 steals, 59 more than the school record (303
in 1986 and 1982) and 17 more than the MVC record (345 by Tulsa in 1984).

Defending the Paint

• Bradley is
allowing the opposition only 23.0 ppg in the paint and opponents are shooting
just 42.6 percent (182-427) from inside the arc.

Spreading the Wealth

• Bradley boasts
six players who average at better than 8.0 points per game.

• With Walt Lemon,
Jr. leading the team in scoring at 12.4 ppg, only a 4.1-points-per-game scoring
average separates Lemon for Bradley’s sixth-leading scorer (Jake Eastman, 8.3
ppg).

• Not since the
re-instatement of Bradley Athletics in 1945 has such a small gap separated
Bradley’s leading scorer from its sixth-leading scorer.

It’s Warm Inside

• Bradley is
shooting 51.1 percent (264-517) from inside the arc and the Braves are
averaging 37.4 points per game in the paint.

• The Braves have
outscored their opponents in the paint in each of their eight wins and boast an
overall 449-276 scoring advantage in the paint.

• Bradley is
averaging a +14.4 points-per-game scoring advantage in the paint.

Ball Control

• While Bradley’s
defense has been turning over the opposition with success, the Braves are
averaging only 12.0 turnovers per game.

• Through games of
Dec. 27, Bradley ranked second nationally with a 0.94 steals/turnover ratio
(VCU was first at 1.03).

• Bradley ranked
289th last season with a 0.79 assists-to-turnover ratio, but the Braves have
improved that ratio to 1.19 this year, which was tied for 56th nationally
through games of Dec. 27.

• Bradley has
committed fewer than 10 turnovers four times this season, including a
season-low five turnovers Dec. 17 versus Georgia Southern.

El Hombre

• Senior guard Dyricus
Simms-Edwards ranks eighth nationally by averaging 3.00 steals per game
through games of Dec. 27.

• Many of
Simms-Edwards’ 36 steals to date have happened by simply ripping the ball away
from the player he has been guarding, a play described as an “hombre play” by
head coach Geno Ford.

• Simms-Edwards
currently is on pace for 96 steals this season, which would eclipse the school
record (83) and tie the Valley mark.

• Simms-Edwards
has committed only 17 turnovers during his 32.9 mpg.

Steals-To-Turnover

• Not only does Dyricus
Simms-Edwards rank eighth nationally with 3.0 steals per game, but he also
ranks fifth nationally by averaging 2.12 steals per turnover.

• Simms-Edwards
boasts 36 steals against just 17 turnovers while playing 32.9 minutes per game,
easily the best ratio among Bradley players since steal and turnover records
were routinely kept starting in 1980-81.

• Senior forward Jake
Eastman also makes the list of best steals-to-turnover ratio at 1.50
through this season’s first 12 games.

• The last Brave
to play at least 10 minutes per game with more steals than turnovers was Chris
Roberts in 2009-10 (47 steals, 44 turnovers).

• Currently
averaging a team-best 112.4 ppg, Lemon would need the Braves to play beyond one
MVC Tournament game to reach 1,000 points this season.

Big Media Numbers

• Dave Snell is in his 34th season as
the radio Voice of the Braves and has participated in 1,028 Bradley Basketball
game broadcasts, all in succession, on 1470 WMBD since taking over play-by-play
duties for the 1979-80 season.

• Peoria Journal Star beat writer Dave
Reynolds has covered 690 consecutive Bradley games since taking over the
beat for the start of the 1990-91 season.

• In addition, public address announcer Paul
Herzog has announced 532 Bradley Basketball home games.

Looking Ahead

• Bradley will
open the league season by playing two of its first three games at home.

• The Braves will
visit Southern Illinois Wednesday, then will return home to host defending
league champion Wichita State Jan. 6 in a 4:30 p.m. game to be televised
nationally on ESPNU.

• The first 2,000
in attendance Jan. 6 will receive free State Farm fan scrolls, Josh Horton the
Juggler will perform at halftime and a quartet of Braves - Jake Eastman,
Anthony Fields, Walt Lemon, Jr. and Nate Wells - will be
available for postgame autographs.